From lost homework assignments to overloaded backpacks to the wrong books being brought to class, eighth-grade special education teacher Kristen Liszweski has seen it all.

But the disadvantages found with traditional textbooks and notebooks may soon be a thing of the past for the 735 students at Raynham Middle School.

They will begin upgrading to learning with laptops, tablets and iPads later this month in a voluntary pilot program that will let kids bring their own devices to school.

Initially, the students will be able to use their own devices for taking notes in class, organizing their homework assignments and research.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Liszweski said. “It’s a great initiative that gives my students another tool to use.”

There are apps that allow students to organize information in class and drop their notes in different folders. Another allows them to take photos of a worksheet, upload it to the computer and fill it out online.

“One program gives teachers a great way to give a quick assessment test online and then it calculates the results, and it can pinpoint where work needs to be done,” she said. “Say if half the class got an answer wrong, we know we really need to go back and teach the standards.”

The reasons to allow the technology are numerous, said Raynham Middle School Principal David Thomson.

“There is research that shows that technology increases student achievement and engages them,” said Thomson, referring to a study in the Journal of Technology and Learning and Assessment.

Jennifer Manak, a Bridgewater State University assistant professor of elementary and early childhood education, said the computers can be a great tool.

“It provides students with technology and gives them an opportunity to act in the 21st Century and there is more information to engage them in content areas like science, social studies and math,” said Manak.

She noted that textbooks are not always up to date.

She said the challenge is to find the best ways to use the devices as an instructional tool.

“The iPads can be a distraction if they are not monitored,” she said. “Teachers have to be purposeful and thoughtful in their use of the iPads.”

One Raynham parent likes the move.

“When the school district told us that they were going to use tablets in this pilot program we were quite pleased about it,” said Cathy DiMarzio, whose son, Andrew, is in the eighth grade at Raynham Middle School. “It’s going to give them information faster. Computers are the way the world is going.”

The school has purchased a lot of technology in the past two years, said Thomson. The school will also provide a mobile cart stocked with 30 Chromebook laptops and 30 iPads for students.